-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Connie and Donald McCracken were watching CNN one evening last week when they learned of the tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson from a head injury . Immediately , their minds turned to their 7-year-old daughter , Morgan , who was upstairs getting ready for bed .

An injured Morgan McCracken has benefited from awareness after Natasha Richardson 's death .

Two days earlier , Morgan , her father , and brother had been playing baseball in the yard of their Mentor , Ohio , home when her father hit a line drive that landed just above Morgan 's left temple . A lump formed , but the McCrackens iced it down and the swelling subsided within an hour .

`` For the next two days , she was perfectly fine , '' Donald McCracken says . `` She had no symptoms . She went to school both days and got an A on her spelling test as usual . There were no issues whatsoever . ''

But after hearing about Richardson 's death , the McCrackens wondered if Morgan was really as OK as she seemed . After all , Richardson had been talking and lucid immediately after her fatal injury .

When they went upstairs to kiss Morgan good night , she complained of a headache . `` Because of Natasha , we called the pediatrician immediately . And by the time I got off the phone with him , Morgan was sobbing , her head hurt so much , '' McCracken says .

The McCrackens took Morgan to the emergency room at LakeWest Hospital in neighboring Willoughby , where doctors ordered a CT scan and immediately put Morgan on a helicopter to Rainbow Babies and Children 's Hospital in Cleveland , with her father by her side .

`` I knew it was bad when she had to get there by helicopter in six minutes , instead of the 30 minutes it would have taken to get to Cleveland in an ambulance , '' McCracken said .

When the helicopter arrived at Rainbow , the McCrackens were greeted by Dr. Alan Cohen , the hospital 's chief of pediatric neurosurgery . He whisked Morgan into the operating room , pausing for a moment to tell McCracken that his daughter had the same injury as Richardson : an epidural hematoma .

McCracken remembers standing in the emergency room , feeling like the life had just been sucked out of him . `` My heart sank , '' he says . `` It just sank . ''

Unlike Richardson 's , Morgan 's story has a happy ending . After surgery and five days in the hospital , she 's at home and doing fine . `` Dr. Cohen told us that if we had n't brought her in Thursday night , she never would have woken up , '' McCracken says .

Now the McCrackens sometimes wonder if they waited too long to get Morgan to a doctor . After hearing about Richardson 's death , many people are asking themselves the same question : Do all head injuries need attention , even ones that seem minor ?

`` Sometimes there 's a gray zone , and there 's no right answer , '' Cohen says . Watch for tips on when to go to the ER ''

In most cases , it 's pretty clear when someone needs medical attention after a head injury , says Greg Ayotte , a spokesperson for the Brain Injury Association of America and a cognitive rehabilitation therapist . `` They 're confused , they 're agitated , or they might be dizzy or unresponsive , '' he says .

But then there 's what doctors call the `` talk and die '' scenario , where someone seems fine , only to die hours , or sometimes even days later .

`` Talk and die '' can happen with several different kinds of brain injuries . In the case of epidural hematomas , the injury Richardson and Morgan had , blood pools in the area between the lining of the brain and the skull . `` Fluid is building up in a contained space , creating pressure . Something 's got to give , and that something is the brain , '' Ayotte says . If you do n't get to the hospital to have surgery to drain the fluid , `` the deterioration can happen very quickly . ''

Here , from Ayotte and other experts , is a list of what to do after someone has suffered a head injury .

1 . Be vigilant

Keep an eye on someone who has hit his head , even if the person never lost consciousness . `` A lot of folks are still under the assumption that as long as you 're not knocked out , you 're OK , and that 's not true , '' Ayotte says .

2 . Look for dizziness , vomiting , headache and confusion

If the injured person has these signs , take him or her to an emergency room , says Dr. Jam Ghajar , clinical professor of neurological surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York , and president of the Brain Trauma Foundation .

3 . Look for changes in symptoms and behavior

Any sudden change , such as Morgan 's headache going from mild to severe in minutes , means the person needs medical attention . For example , Ghajar says , if a person gets suddenly sleepy in the first 12 hours after a hit , it may mean the parts of the brain responsible for staying awake are experiencing pressure from a bleed .

4 . Be especially wary if someone a -RRB- has been drinking alcohol , b -RRB- is on blood thinners , c -RRB- is elderly or d -RRB- is a young athlete

It 's tough to distinguish brain-injured behavior from drunken behavior , so when in doubt , take the person to the hospital , Ghajar says . Also , blood thinners can turn a mild bleed into a major bleed , so be especially vigilant if the injured person is taking blood thinners such as warfarin .

He also warns people to be extra vigilant when an elderly person hits his or her head . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has information on traumatic brain injury and senior citizens . The CDC also has information on concussions in young athletes .

5 . Go to a certified trauma center if you can

The American College of Surgeons has a list of certified trauma facilities ; a hospital that 's not a trauma center may not have a neurosurgeon on call . You can also look on this map from the American Trauma Society . Find your state , select trauma centers , update the map , and you can find information about trauma centers in your area .

The McCrackens say they look back and still ca n't believe Morgan suffered such a severe injury and did n't show any signs for 48 hours . `` She did n't black out , her speech was n't slurred , she was n't dizzy , she was n't any of the things you 'd expect , '' McCracken says . `` And you do n't want to be one of those panicky parents who takes their child to the emergency room all the time . ''

Cohen 's advice after a head injury : When in doubt , go . `` It 's always better to err on the side of being conservative , '' he says .

CNN Medical Producer Sabriya Rice contributed to this report .

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Richardson 's death raises question : When should you go to ER after head injury ?

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Dizziness , vomiting , headache and confusion are all red flags

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Take special care if person is on blood thinners or is elderly

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Doc : `` Sometimes there 's a gray zone , and there 's no right answer . ''